Decked out for the holidays – Loomis Basin Education Foundation Holiday Home …

When Jonelle and Richard Tannahill moved into their Loomis residence, it marked a new beginning in more ways than one. They were also celebrating their wedding day.
“It was the classic story of architect meets decorator, falls in love and builds dream home,” Jonelle Tannahill said.
Their “Villa Fortuna” is one of the five sites featured on this year’s Loomis Basin Education Foundation Holiday Home Tour Saturday, Dec. 13.
It took the couple about two years to find the perfect property
“We love Loomis because it has that rural charm and wide open space, and is close to our work,” she said. “It’s close to Roseville but it feels like you’re out in the country.”
The 4,000-square-foot home has Italian influences, with tall arches and 15-foot ceilings in the living room.
“We wanted something just a bit different, so we went for a taller look,” Tannahill said. “We really tried to have it blend into the environment. The color of the building blends in. There are wooden shutters. The landscaping is very natural — all drought-tolerant plants. We have just a postage stamp of grass for the grandkids to do Easter egg hunts.”
The home also makes the most of the views, with a 1,000-square-foot veranda that looks out onto a pond and wildlife.
The entry is a huge bronze door.
“We got married in front of that entry,” Tannahill said.
Once inside, the first thing that will catch visitors’ eyes on the tour is a 14-foot-tall Christmas tree.
“It’s very California eclectic,” Tannahill said. “You’ll certainly find something on the tree you’ll love. There’s everything from glass-blown ornaments to family-made ornaments.”
The tree is decorated in bronze and orange with some other color touches.
The large living room is where the family — the Tannahills, their children and grandchildren — gather to celebrate Christmas and other special times.
“It’s also where the grandkids leave cookies for Santa on the fireplace mantel,” she said.
In the dining room, the table will be set.
“I collect dishes. I love to entertain,” she said. “The day after the tour, we’re having people over and we’ll be eating at those tables. …Every holiday we celebrate and have people and enjoy the house. We built it so we can enjoy it in the spirit of hospitality.”
Tannahill’s “international” tree is located in the family room.
“It’s the most unusual tree we have,” she said. “It’s 7 or 8 feet (tall). It has dolls from around the world that have been gathered through travels. I used to travel internationally all the time through my old job in travel and tourism. On our travels, my mom and I and my kids would bring back small dolls clad in their traditional clothing.”
Tannahill wires the dolls on to the tree. Then she adds other ornaments and international flags. Decorating the tree with the dolls each year brings back fond memories.
“I remember when I was in Israel or Mexico when I picked up that particular doll,” she said. “I even have dolls that were my grandmother’s that she picked up in her travels, too. Those are probably more than 50 years old.”
There are five more trees throughout the house, each one with its own theme.
“I don’t like to repeat them,” she said. “Each year I think of ideas of what I’ll do with the trees. Because of the special tour this year, I’m not holding back. I’m getting everything out.”
One of the special things about the house is the view provided by eight sets of French doors that look out onto wildland.
“(They look out to) what we find is the most beautiful thing about our house — the nature. It’s the beauty of the wildlife around us,” Tannahill said. “We see everything — there are typical owls, deer and turkeys. We have a raccoon family that frequents us often. We hear the coyotes and have seen them. We saw a mountain lion with a small cub (a few years ago). We see her prints every winter because she must drink at the pond. … We see red-tailed hawks, possums and squirrels. A lot of times the grandkids and I will sit on the back porch and try to count the wildlife we see.”
While Jonelle, who owns Impressions Redesign, has focused her decorating skills on the inside of the house, Richard Tannahill, who is an architect of hospitals, enjoys working in the yard.
“He has planted fruit trees and 40 grape vines in a small vineyard,” Jonelle Tannahill said. “It’s almost four acres of land. It is a lot of take care of, even though it is rural.”
During the eight years the Tannahills have lived in the home, they have immersed themselves in the community. Opening their doors to the tour gave them an opportunity to help local schools.
“We want to be part of the fabric of the community we love,” Tannahill said. “We support the football games, recycling events and (other activities). … Money (raised from the holiday home tour) goes to visual arts, performing arts, technology and all the things that make a well-rounded person.”
The event benefits the Loomis Basin Education Foundation and the seven elementary schools in the Loomis Union School District.
The other stops on the tour are French Country Charmer — a 3,000-square-foot custom home on 2.5 acres; Christmas at the Castle, a Gaudi-style Spanish castle with a 50-foot vaulted ceiling in the entry; St. Francis Woods Manse, an expansive traditional-style home in gated St. Francis Woods; and Vintage Americana, three vintage trailers that have been refurbished in a rustic barn, tour spokeswoman Joyia Emard said.
“We also will have free Casque Wines tasting for tour attendees at one of our homes,” she said.
For Tannahill, her home is a place to celebrate family.
“It’s the house everyone comes home to,” she said.